Diving Pelican

I captured this about three years ago at a local beach estuary. We had a group of birds hunting fish in front of us for about 2 hours and the action was wide open. It was so fast and furious that it was hard to figure on which bird to focus on and at what distance.
Also it was very hard on your arms as the constant up and down of the heavy rig eventually starts to building up lactic acid in your arms and they feel like they are going to fall off :) Some were way to close for the 600mm, and some, like this one, were just right.
The next frame, which is an almost identical pose but without the green on top, doesn't have the same impact and color so I chose this one. Hope you like it

1DX---600mm---f6.3---ss1/3200th---ISO640---Hand held@ 8:15am---35% crop

Thanks as always for looking and for your input. I appreciate it.

David

I remember the other one in this series that you posted. This one is even better I think as the bird is farther away from the foliage line and head angle is better as well. Both are great but I prefer this one for sure. Great pose, great action, killer details. A Salem special for sure with the combination of action, drama and details that the rest of us only dream about :cheers: If mine, and I wish it were I would warm the shot up a bit to give more of a feel of the southern California warm sun.

Hi Dave, Fantastic action captured, love the intense stare to target, the definition of all the feathers, and the pleasing surrounding colors. It is such an awesome experience to be at the right place and right time and then to begin to "choose" which bird you want to photograph! Finally, IQ overall is top shelf, well done my friend, always nice to see you post and comment.

Thanks Isaac and Ann!! Glad you like it.

Isaac, Here is a repost with things warmed up a bit. I think I like it a bit better warmed up so thanks for the suggestion.

From 99% perfect to 100% perfect now :bg3:

Great diving capture, and story, David. Perfect timing, and like the intensity in that eye.

Geoffrey




http://500px.com/geoffreymontagu

Great frame. I don't think i have ever seen a dorsal view pelican shot like this. All the boxes are checked with this one. Well done.

love the dive Dave! It screams Bolsa to me! the only thing I don't like about Bolsa is the shoreline that always intersects with the bird no matter what. BTW first one looks more like Bolsa at least on my monitor.

Have a safe trip buddy TTYL

Super diving pose with great detail and exposure here.

Hello David, great image with great detail (how you do that??!!) TFS

Great Shot. I love the First one than the repost.

TFS

Really nice. Love the details pose and BG. The focused look on the face is great too. I'm happy with either post to be honest. TFS

Killer sharp and dramatic as expected. With Canon gear no less :)

am